SpaceX postpones rocket launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base

'Eight of the satellites on board a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Air Force Base will be from companies hoping to build a truly global Internet of Things by revolutionizing satellite communications, ' Wired reported.

Now, SpaceX and its workhorse vehicle is ready to set the record for most satellites launched by a single American rocket.

It was also the first time Musk's company attempted to fly one of its rocket boosters for a third time.

Minutes later, the first stage landed on an unmanned ship in the Pacific.

The other big first of this launch is that the Falcon 9 rocket is flying on its third mission.

Going into Monday's flight, SpaceX's record stood at 19 successful drone ship recoveries, 11 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and one at Vandenberg Air Force Base northwest of Los Angeles.

The same first stage was previously launched and recovered on missions in May and August.

Elon Musk's company launched the Falcon 9 at 10:30 a.m. PST after a series of delays triggered by bad weather and last-minute inspections for the rocket.

The company has tried on several occasions to guide the fairing, using parachutes, to a soft landing into a giant net hoisted up by a crew boat called Mr. Steven. The current record is held by an Indian rocket that launched 104 small satellites earlier this year. "Nothing wrong with a little swim".

Once it blasts off, the rocket will carry 64 small satellites into orbit for multiple customers from around the world.

"It includes 15 microsats and 49 cubesats from both commercial and government entities, of which more than 25 are from worldwide organizations from 17 countries, including the United States, Australia, Italy, Netherlands, Finland, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, UK, Germany, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Poland, Canada, Brazil and India", according to Spaceflight Industries.

Some of the satellites are aiming to build an internet network that could support smart devices.

When the Falcon 9 reached space today, its nose cone fell away, and the satellites began to emerge.

About half an hour after launch, SpaceX confirmed that four satellites were deployed from the payload stack. One sponsored a balloon that will inflate in orbit and be visible from the ground.

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